Marlene's real date
by Vivi-ntvg
Summary: After a talk with Fred, Antonio shows up at the zoo to meet Marlene. Will they start dating? And what will Skipper think? My first attempt at a fanfic. Please REVIEW!
1. A squirrel?

It was a beautiful Monday morning in Central Park. Fred was enjoying the taste of his breakfast nut, when he heard someone was calling him.

He went up to the hole of his tree and looked outside. Down there was Antonio.

"Hey Fred!" he said. "What's up?"

"Up? The sky. And…" He looked up. "Leaves"

Antonio smiled. Fred had such a sense of humour. "Have you done anything recently?"

"Eat my breakfast."

Antonio chuckled. "I meant something like going out somewhere… different"

"No, not really"

"Me neither. Sometimes I get tired of playing my Spanish guitar and wish I could meet someone new. I'm not as lucky as you, amigo"

"What do you mean?"

"You met a girl once, remember?"

"Oh" Fred said, "that squirrel. She wasn't great. She only laughed at everything I said"

"Can you describe her anyway?"

"She had very big brown eyes, and her fur was like yours"

"Like mine?" Antonio's heart started beating fast. "Did she have a tail like yours?"

"Mmm, let me think… no, she didn't. That's weird."

"Then she wasn't a squirrel!" Antonio cried happily. "She was an otter, like me! Was she from the zoo?"

"Umm, I think she was"

"Then I must go and meet her! Ahora! Adios, amigo!"

"Bye" said Fred.

Antonio picked up his Spanish guitar and hurried to the zoo. "Espero tener suerte", he thought to himself. "I hope she's still there and she likes Spanish guitar".

_Meanwhile, at the otter habitat…_

Marlene was happily hanging some flowers in her habitat. It was spring, and they were beautiful.

She finished decoration around her bed and looked up at the flowers. They were roses, her favourite. The kind of flower she'd like to be given by a boy…

Unconsciously, her mind went back to her date with Fred months ago. It had been a total failure. From the beginning she hadn't liked the idea. When Private took her blindfolded to the penguin's HQ telling her they had a surprise for her, she didn't know what to think. But after Kowalski explained what they were planning to do, she felt it wasn't quite right.

At first, Fred seemed to be a very funny guy, always telling jokes. She had begun to think he may actually be her dream date, and when the lemurs kidnapped him, she felt such anger she could have killed Julien. However, after she and the penguins rescued him, Marlene realized that he had never been joking when he spoke. He really was… well… _stupid_. So she dumped him.

Her mind went back to the present. _Forget it_, she told herself. _You'll find the right guy one day_. Then she realized she had run out of tulips, and she wanted to put some outside. Tulips grew just next to the entrance, so after checking no humans were around, she headed there.

She was so concentrated in picking up the best flowers she didn't see the figure that passed by her side. When she started walking towards her habitat, she wasn't looking forward; she was looking at the tulips. Suddenly she crashed against something dark and furry.


	2. Meeting Marlene

_Thanks for all your AWESOME reviews! SelenaMarie, you'll see lots more of Spanish because... my native language IS Spanish ;)_

_Hope you like the second chapter! It was hard to begin, but here you are!_

* * *

"Sorry" Marlene said. "I wasn't –" But that was all she could say. When her gaze started going up the dark furry thing, she saw muscles under the fur. And when her eyes met the green eyes of the otter in front of her, she was speechless.

"No importa" the otter said. "I'm sure such a pretty lady had no intention of crashing against me."

"Yeah, er… I'm Marlene, by the way."

"My pleasure to meet you" he said, bowing. Marlene giggled. "Mi nombre es Antonio, but I'd better help you with those." He pointed to the floor.

Marlene blushed. She hadn't realized she'd dropped the tulips.

They bent down and together picked them up. Soon, their arms were full of flowers. Antonio smiled at Marlene.

"Shall I help you take them to your home?"

"OK. Thanks." Marlene answered, a big smile on her face.

While walking towards her habitat, they chatted.

"So" Antonio began. "You live here at the zoo."

"Yup."

"And is it nice?"

"Very" Marlene nodded. "Everyone's really kind, and if I do a few tricks, humans give me popcorn. It's delicious!"

"Aha. Are there any more otters here?"

"No. I'm the only one."

"And how long have you been living here?"

"A year, I think."

"So you've alone all that time?"

"Well, um, not that I haven't got any friends. The lemurs and penguins are very good people, you know."

"Penguins?" Antonio asked. "You've made friends with penguins?"

"Yeah, why… hey, are you all right?" Marlene asked with concern. He looked rather… sick.

"Oh, no es nada, it must be something I ate" Antonio answered. The truth was that the idea of relationships between different species made him sick. He was friends with Fred because they were both mammals. But Marlene was an otter and she had a friendship with _penguins_. Yuk. He had to get her to come to her senses.

She was going to say something when she saw they had arrived at her habitat. "Well," she said, "thanks for helping with the flowers".

"Fue un placer." Antonio looked at the door. "Can I come in, señorita?"

"Sure" Marlene answered. She liked this guy.

He was amazed at the sight of a home like that. It was really…_royal_. When he turned to look at the roses over her bed, she saw the guitar hanging against his back.

"Hey, is that… a _Spanish_ guitar?"

"Qué?" Antonio asked, turning round. "Oh, sí. It's a Spanish guitar." He saw the look on her face and asked with a smile, "Do you like it?"

"I love Spanish guitar!" Marlene said happily. "Can you play it?"

"Por supuesto" he said. "What song would you like me to play?"

"Oh, whatever you want" Marlene said cheerfully, sitting on her bed. "Just play."

"Muy bien" Antonio smiled. And he began. The magic of the music spread everywhere in the habitat and beyond, until it got to the ears of a certain penguin…

* * *

_Hmmmm... who could that be? ^^_

_Keep tuned for the third chapter and review, please! They inspire me ^^_

_Now I'll add the Spanish in here:_

_No importa - It doesn't matter_

_Mi nombre es - My name is_

_No es nada - It's nothing_

_Fue un placer - It was a pleasure_

_Señorita - Miss or lady_

_Qué - What_

_Sí - Yes_

_Por supuesto - Of course_

_Muy bien - Very well_

_FanFiction won't allow me to translate chapter 1 where it should be, so I'll just translate here: amigo means friend (you probably know that),ahora is now and espero tener suerte means I hope I'm lucky._


	3. Penguins in action

_This chapter took me much longer to finish, but yes, it's here!_

_Thanks to all reviewers, the ones who commented and the "silent" ones!_

_And yes, CayenePeppr, this IS Spanish... and get ready because you'll see a lot more! If you didn't understand anything, just write it in your review, but in general I'll try to put easy things..._

_And now on with the CHAPTER!_

* * *

"Come on boys, let's get to work" Skipper said, and jumped into the HQ entrance. Kowalski and Rico followed, and Private was about to go after them when he heard something. The penguin froze and listened. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He paid more attention and figured out it was the music of a Spanish guitar, played wonderfully.

"Beautiful" he said, and kept listening, bewitched.

Meanwhile, down in the HQ, Kowalski was working on a mind – controlling helmet, Rico was watching "Transformers" on TV and Skipper was looking at the zoo through the periscope. Just as he was checking the elephant habitat, he sensed something was wrong.

"Kaboom!" said Rico. Two of the robots had crashed into each other and exploded.

No, that wasn't wrong. Rico had always loved explosions. Skipper turned around and immediately realized the light was brighter than usual.

"Kowalski!" he called. "Why is there so much light?"

The tall penguin left the screwdriver on the table and took out his notepad and pencil.

"Apparently, Skipper, there's a 40% increase of the light, which is caused by the appearance of an unknown source of light. Calculating the angle of the light, the source should be…" He made some notes and looked up. "There".

Skipper looked up too. The fishbowl wasn't in its place. "Blast! Why is the entrance open? We aren't accepting new recruits."

Kowalski took his abacus and after some seconds he said, "Considering the amount of space occupied right now in the room, the size of each of us and the position of the sun, the reason is Private is still out there."

"What?" Skipper looked around and realized Kowalski was right. "Private!" he called him loudly.

No one answered.

"Fish and chips!" He slapped his forehead and climbed up the ladder. There was Private, standing still, his looking at nothing.

"Private!" barked Skipper. Private didn't react.

"PRIVATE!!" he yelled. The young penguin seemed to get out of a trance. He blinked and looked around. "What? Skippah!"

"Any reason for staying up here, Private?" he asked, folding his flippers.

"Oh – I –"

"Private?" Kowalski asked, his voice filled with concern. He and Rico had climbed upstairs after hearing Skipper's yell.

"K'walski, can you hear that?"

The four penguins shut up and heard the Spanish guitar.

"Beautiful" Kowalski said.

"Uh-huh" Rico nodded.

"I know" Private said.

"Don't listen to that!" Skipper cried. "It may be a hypnotizing kind of music that'll make you follow Dr. Blowhole's orders and destroy the world!"

"Skippah, I don't think – "

But he was cut off by Skipper, who, as usual, didn't listen to him.

"Kowalski! Find out where the _noise_ comes from!"

The penguin made some calculations and said, "Looks like it comes from the otter habitat."

"The otter habitat? Sweet scallops! Who knows what sick, twisted things they may have done to Marlene! Let's move fast, men!"

So they slid on their bellies to her habitat. As they were next to the door, Skipper warned them. "Don't let them get your minds." And they entered the way they usually did: unexpectedly and violently, landing in the middle of the habitat.

"What's going on in here?" Skipper barked.

"I could ask you lo mismo", a male voice with Latin accent said behind him.

* * *

_Haha, you thought it would be Skipper, didn't you? :P_

_Keep those wonderful reviews because they're inspiring :)_

_Well, see you next chapter! As Antonio would say: Adiós!_


	4. Introducing Antonio

__

Thanks for the reviews! From now on, I'll translate the Spanish I write to make things easier.

_TTS: To The Story!_

* * *

Skipper's first reaction was surprise; he'd never heard such a voice before. However, he immediately recovered and turned around. During that second, his forever paranoid mind analyzed the possibilities. The first option he thought of was Marlene had been hypnotized and turned evil. Or maybe the hypnotizer had been the one talking and Marlene was unable to speak due to her pain. There was also a chance that she'd been taken away and the voice was her kidnappers'.

All those options ran through his mind before turning around and facing the otter in front of him. For an instant he thought it was Marlene. Then he saw the muscles and green eyes.

Without even thinking about it, he jumped right on him, pushing the male otter down to the floor. Anger filled his mind. Whoever this bastard was, he would pay.

"Who are you and what have you done with Marlene?!"

"Uh, Skipper –"

"Marlene, I'm trying to interrogate this otter, if you don't mind!"

"But Skipper –"

"Please Marlene, silence!"

"Uh, Skippah," said Private, "Marlene is there."

A switch seemed to turn on in Skipper's head. He looked up from the otter under him and saw Marlene. Her paws were on her hips, her eyebrows arched. She didn't look as if she had suffered any pain at all.

His gaze got back to the other otter.

"So, can you let me go, compañero?"

Skipper didn't understand the last word, but he got up and let him stand.

"Who are you?"

"Me llamo Antonio" he said, extending his paw. Skipper didn't shake it.

"What is your purpose here?"

"Skipper" Marlene began.

"Está bien, Marlene" Antonio reassured her. "I was just visiting Marlene and playing my –" Antonio stopped and looked behind him. He'd put his guitar on the floor when the penguins came in, just in case. He was now glad for if he hadn't, the sapphire – eyed penguin would've broken it.

"You were playing your what?" Skipper asked.

"Mi guitarra española." As soon as he took a step towards it, the penguin got in the middle.

He was beginning to dislike this bossy guy.

"How do I know that you haven't got a mind – controlling device in there?"

Marlene looked annoyed. Antonio sighed. "Why would I?"

"Maybe you're a spy sent by our nemesis Dr. Blowhole to make us follow his orders so that he can get revenge on humans without us interfering.

The otter began to wonder if this guy was mentally sane or not. "Eso es ridículo", he answered. "And who are you?"

"That's classified! And I haven't finished –"

"Well, what's up with de mess in here?" another voice interrupted him.

Everyone looked at the door. King Julien, along with Maurice and Mort, of course, was there. "So?" he demanded. "Tell me. I am de king. I want to know."

"Classified" Skipper barked.

"Skippah was interrogating the otter we don't know" Private cheerily said, earning a slap from Kowalski. "Ow! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"Never reveal classified information, Private" Kowalski whispered him.

"Another otter, huh?" King Julien grabbed his chin. "Maurice! Tell him about de awesome royal me!"

Maurice sighed and gestured towards the lemur while speaking to the otter. "This is King Julien XIII, self – proclaimed lemur king, he loves parties and dancing, bla bla bla, etc., etc."

"Ok. Um… well… it's a…. uh… pleasure to meet you, creo."

"Of course it is! Everyone gets please from meeting de most handsome king in the world!"

Antonio felt like he was in an insane asylum. In fact, he would have left if it wasn't for Marlene, his recent _conquer_.

"Marlene," he said, turning to her, "tengo que irme because I've promised Fred to help him clean his house. But how about meeting tonight? Podemos ir to the cinema if you like."

"Sure" Marlene smiled, but before she could say anything else, Julien interrupted again.

"Ohhhhh, the otters are having a date! How romantic! And during the movie" - he turned to Antonio – "in the part where the boy and the girl kiss, you slowly lean in and kiss her!"

The male otter looked at Marlene, afraid that she would feel embarrassed and cancel the date, but all he could see in her face was annoyance.

"Adios, then!" He picked up his guitar and, after going through the door, he walked away as fast as possible; he couldn't stand that crazy lemur.

Marlene looked at the lemurs angrily. "Well done" she hissed. "The first visit I get from another otter and you make him go away."

"Make him go away?" Julien said. "He left because he had to help Fred."

"He left because of you! That was just an excuse! I could see it. Now go!"

"All right Maurice, leave the otter alone."

"What?" Maurice asked. "You were the one talking to her!"

"Yeah, sure, Maurice. Now let's go home. My booty needs to move!" And the lemurs left.

Once they had passed the door, the otter turned to the penguins. More specifically, to Skipper.

"What's wrong with you? Can't I spend time with someone you don't know because they might be spying you?"

"You never know, Marlene" Skipper answered.

"Oh, come on! He's a very nice guy. He can play the Spanish guitar! You're just too paranoid."

"Paranoid? I'm just being careful."

"Yeah, I know. Now why don't you go on one of you soldiers missions and leave me alone?"

"We will, Marlene, but we've warned you. Come on boys."

As they slid home, Skipper thought he had to protect Marlene at all coast. Once they were in their HQ, he talked to Kowalski.

"What are the possibilities that he's a spy? Give me a number."

Kowalski made some calculations. "35% possible."

"That's enough! I have to protect Marlene somehow."

"_You_ have to, Skippah?" Private asked.

"I mean _we_ have to, but we can't all go."

"Go where?" Kowalski frowned.

"To the cinema, of course! If Marlene doesn't accept the fact that the otter isn't good for her, I will be there just in case."

"Are you sure about that, Skippah?"

"As sure as I can be."

The other three stared at each other, and then got back to work.

Skipper didn't follow immediately. He had thought he was just concerned for Marlene, but now, after talking with his team, he realized there was something more. What was it? A strange combination of rage and… well… _posession_. Could that be? He'd ask Kowalski later, he decided, and went to check the zoo in his periscope. The strange feeling didn't go away, though, and made him uncomfortable the whole day.

* * *

_Ohhh... what can it be? ^^_

_In this story, Julien won't mind about Marlene dating, OK?_

_The Spanish:_

_Compañero - Mate_

_Me llamo - My name is_

_Está bien - It's OK_

_Mi guitarra española - My Spanish guitar_

_Eso es ridículo - That is ridiculous_

_Creo - I think_

_Tengo que irme - I've got to go_

_Podemos ir - We can go_

_Adios - Goodbye_

_Sorry if some seems obvious, but I'd rather not leave you wondering ^^ Please tell me if I put too much Spanish_

_I'll be more descriptive in later chapters, I promise!_

_Until next chapter!_


	5. First date

_Sorry for how long this took, bla bla bla_

_Don't worry, the song in Spanish is translated at the end_

_TTS! Enjoy!_

* * *

Antonio looked at Marlene and smiled. Then he gazed at the moon and put his arm over her shoulders.

Everything had been perfect. They had seen a horror film, which caused them to hold each other in fear more than once, and when that happened, he enjoyed the feeling of being in her warm arms. After the film they had dinner. Marlene asked for oysters, so he secretly spoke with the chef, who agreed to set the oysters so that they spelled Marlene's name. When the plate came, she literally melted. They ate, climbed up the bell and sat there to watch the moon.

Marlene sighed. This had been the best night of her life. She looked down at the beautiful sight of the park. Under the moonlight, the trees were mere shadows with mysterious shapes. The grass had the dark colour of an emerald. Behind the park shone the lights of New York, the outside, a place she'd never met. The moon was full, so it looked like a huge round piece of cheese floating up in the sky, illuminating the otters with its bright light.

"This is wonderful" Marlene murmured, and she laid her head on Antonio's shoulder.

"No tanto como tú" he said. She giggled.

If Rico had been here, he would have thrown up, Skipper thought. He was watching the two from a tree behind them. Antonio hadn't done anything suspicious… until now. His arm around her… Why did he put it there? Looking at it, Skipper felt rage run through his body. He'd pay if he dared do anything to her. Everything was becoming red. Anger… Anger… Wait. What was that? He could feel something else, something both familiar and unfamiliar. "It's the same thing I've feeling all day", he thought. That strange combination of anger and possession…

In that moment, with his eyes fixated on Antonio's arm, realization hit him.

Now it was so obvious he wondered why he hadn't seen it earlier. Probably because he had never felt it before.

It wasn't just his usual paranoia that led him to go there.

He was jealous.

But jealous of what?

I'll see soon, he thought. Maybe it isn't real jealousy. With a sigh, he was going to leave, when he saw Antonio take out his guitar. What if his guitar _really_ had something? He'd better stay. Just in case.

"What would you like me to play, querida?" he asked.

"I'd love something in Spanish" she answered, and leaned back to give him space to play.

"De acuerdo" he smiled. "I hope you'll like this one."

And he began singing and playing at the same time.

_Qué lindo que era verlos caminando_

_Un alma sola dividida en dos_

_La orilla de ese mar los encantaba_

_Quedaba todo quieto alrededor_

_Hermosa fue la vida que llevaron_

_La suerte no les quiso dar un sol_

_Curioso es que su risa iluminaba_

_Hasta el día que ese mal se la llevó_

Marlene sniffled a little. That sounded sad.

_Se queda con su foto en un rincón_

_Y sueña encontrarla arriba_

_Escucha susurrar un disco viejo_

_Que su Clara una vez le regaló_

She sniffled louder this time.

_Él sigue con su vida recortada_

_Sin Clara fue una vida sin color_

_La imagen de sus ratos más felices_

_Hasta ahora siguen siendo su motor_

_Se queda con su foto en un rincón_

_Y sueña encontrarla arriba_

_Escucha susurrar un disco viejo_

_Que su Clara una vez le regaló_

_La siente_

_La escucha_

_La espera_

_Y sueña_

_Se queda con su foto en un rincón_

_Y sueña encontrarla arriba_

_Escucha susurrar un disco viejo_

_Que su Clara una vez le regaló_

_La lleva bien pegada al corazón_

_Se alegra de nunca despedirla_

_Pero no va más por la orilla caminando_

_Porque sabe que era hermoso entre los dos_

_Porque sabe que era hermoso entre los dos_

_Porque sabe que era hermoso…_

"That's sad" Marlene said, sniffling a little.

"Sí" he answered, "but it's hermoso".

"Right."

"Do you want me to take you a casa?"

"I guess so. It's late."

"Muy bien." He got up and, taking Marlene's paw, led her home. Unbeknownst to them, Skipper followed, making sure she arrived safely at home. He still didn't trust this guy. He only relaxed a little when Antonio walked out the entrance of the zoo. But he could come back if he wanted too.

"Maybe I should stay here and watch Marlene" he thought. Just as he was sitting down, a voice came from behind him.

"What are you doing here, silly penguin?" King Julien's voice asked.

Skipper mentally cursed. "That's classified, Ringtail" he answered.

"But de king has to know everything, including what's 'qualified'. Why are you looking at de otter?"

"I'm not looking at her", he replied. "I'm just going home". And before the lemur could say anything, he had already slid off on his belly to his HQ.

"Maurice, what's up with de silly penguin's strange behaviour?"

"I don't know, your Majesty" was the answer.

"Duh, never mind. Now let's go get ready to shake our booties tomorrow!"

"I like shaking my bootie!" Mort stated cheerily.

"Mort" Julien said.

"What?"

"Shut up a little."

"OK".

And the three got back to their habitat.

Skipper couldn't sleep that night. The fact that he may be suffering from jealousy was more than enough to keep him up. "Tomorrow I'll have to ask Kowalski about it", he thought. "Probably it's something completely different". That fact made him calm enough to sleep. Nonetheless, a part of his mind was still worried…

* * *

_Hope you liked it! Now with the Spanish:_

_No tanto como tú - Not as much as you_

_Querida - Dear_

_De acuerdo - All right_

_Sí - Yes_

_Hermoso - Beautiful_

_A casa - Home_

_And the SONG! I highly suggest you check it out, it's really beautiful! (and sad, as you'll see). It's called "Clara" and the group is "No Te Va Gustar"_

_It was so nice to see them walking together_

_A single soul divided into two_

_That coast bewitched them_

_Everything around them stood still_

_The life they had was beautiful_

_Luck didn't want to give them a sun_

_It's curious that her laughter illuminated_

_Until the day the illness took her away_

_He sits with her picture in a corner_

_And dreams of finding her up_

_He listens to the whispering of an old disc_

_That his Claire once gave him_

_He goes on with his life cut off_

_Without Claire it was a colourless life_

_The images of their happiest times_

_Are_ _still his engine_

_He sits with her picture in a corner_

_And dreams of finding her up_

_He listens to the whispering of an old disc_

_That his Claire once gave him_

_He feels her_

_He hears her_

_He waits for her_

_And he dreams_

_He sits with her picture in a corner_

_And dreamos of finding her up_

_He listens to the whispering of an old disc_

_That his Claire once gave him_

_She is sticked in his heart_

_He's happy of never saying goodbye to her_

_But he doesn't walk along the coast anymore_

_Because he knows it was beautiful with her_

_Because he knows it was beautiful with her_

_Because he knows it was beautiful..._

_I tried my best to translate. Hope you like it. Until next chapter, adios!_


	6. Surprises

_Hello again! Yeah, I know it's been long since my last update. Long computer problem story._

_I wasn't really sure of how to continue this, because there were so many possiblities! But I decided on one. And here it is!_

_ON WITH THE STORY!_

* * *

Skipper had thought the strange feeling which he suspected to be jealousy would eventually wear off. However, weeks had passed and he still felt the same. He had asked Kowalski, who told him there was a 97% chance he was jealous and a 3% chance he was paranoid as always.

At first, he couldn't accept it and had tried to convince himself that the second option was the right one. But his paranoia had accompanied him ever since he joined the military forces, and he had never felt like that before. The anger he was feeling had to be something more. The only other option was jealousy. Cell by cell, his mind slowly accepted the fact that he was jealous, until he was fully convinced of it.

Now that he had finally made that clear to himself, there was something more important to determine: _what_ was he jealous of?

It had to be something related to Marlene and Antonio; after all, the feeling always appeared when he saw them… no, not always. If he only saw Marlene, he didn't feel angry. Hmm, interesting…

"Skippah?"

… he only got the feeling when he saw Antonio or the two otters together…

"Skippah?"

…why would that be? He'd have to find out…

"SKIPPAH!"

Skipper blinked and looked around. He was in the middle of a training session with his team outside the HQ.

"What is it, Private?"

"Umm… Are you OK, Skippah?"

"I'm fine, Private. No problema."

"Actually, Skipper, you've been quite distracted for…" Kowalski took some notes on his clipboard "…the past three weeks" he said, and realized that was the approximated time that had passed since… He looked at him suspiciously. It had started three weeks ago, and that was the time when he told his leader the feelings he could be having…

"I'm sorry, boys. I take full responsibility for this" apologized Skipper.

"Don't worry, Skippah!" Private said in his usual British accent.

"I'll make sure it doesn't happen again", his leader answered.

For the rest of the day, he was able to force his mind to focus on what he was doing. But as soon as he went to bed, he began thinking about his problem again.

"So," he thought, "if I only feel jealous when I see Antonio alone or him and Marlene, that would mean I feel jealous of Antonio. But for what reason?" He tried to analyze his feelings, but it wasn't easy: analyses were Kowalski's job, and young Private was the one who understood feelings better. Yet he didn't want to ask them, because Kowalski was suspicious and Private was too young to understand jealousy. So he tried his best to analyze his own mind, and at last he realized the feeling increased a lot when he saw Antonio and Marlene together. Which would mean… that he felt jealous of Antonio because of Marlene? How could that be? He hadn't had any strange feelings when she dated Fred, so why was he having them now?

"This is too much to understand" he quietly groaned, and got to sleep.

* * *

The sun went up in the sky until it woke Marlene up. She yawned and remained in bed a little more, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face, her eyes closed. It was a very pleasing sensation. She slowly opened them and with a sigh sat on her bed. Then she stretched her arms, got up and went to her pool.

While she was swimming, her mind was outside the zoo, in the park, with Antonio. She thought of all the nice things they had been doing in the last weeks: they'd been to the cinema, they'd had dinner and walked around the zoo. Most important of all, he'd played his guitar for her many times. She had never been so happy. Antonio was everything she'd ever asked for.

After her swim, she got back into her home to wait for breakfast. Soon, she heard Alice's usual growling as she put food outside the cave. Marlene went out and started eating. When she was finished, she stood on the edge of the wall that surrounded her habitat and looked at the zoo. Suddenly something caught her eye: a light brown figure she didn't recognise wandered around the chimp habitat. Marlene thought the animal may be lost, so she climbed down the wall and walked towards it. When she got closer, she realized it was a feminine squirrel; her body became thin in her waist, and she could see long hair on her head. The fur in her tail looked very clean and tidy. When the squirrel heard Marlene's steps, she turned around with an unusual grace. Her bright honey – coloured eyes seemed to shine with real happiness for a moment, then went off.

"Are you looking for something?" Marlene gently asked her.

"Yes." She put a lock that hung in front of her face back in its place. "You're very kind", she smiled.

Marlene smiled back. "May I help you find it?"

"_Him_", she corrected. "You may know him. He's also an otter."

"You don't mean Antonio, do you?" Marlene asked with surprise.

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "Do you know where he is?"

"Sure. He lives out there in the park."

"I come from there, but he wasn't home. Fred told me he may be here."

"Fred?" Now Marlene was very puzzled. "Who are you?"

"My name's Evelyn", she said. "But you can call me Evey."

"I'm Marlene."

"Nice to meet you, Marlene."

"Nice to meet you too. But how do you know Antonio?

"How do I know him?" Evey smiled. "Funny question. I'm his girlfriend."

* * *

_:OOO You weren't expecting that, were you?_

_Ohhh... what wil happen? How will Marlene react to this? What about Antonio? And SKIPPER?_

_As always, PLEASE, R&R! Those reviews make my day!_


	7. Misunderstanding

_I have a reason for not uploading sooner: I have recently got a new obsession, so I stopped writing. But I'd never let you down, and here I am! I wanted to upload this now because on Sunday I'M LEAVING TO THE COUNTRY WHERE MOST OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE LIVE! USA! YAY! Hope to see you there :P_

_And now ON WITH THE STORY!_

* * *

Antonio looked down at the bouquet of flowers he had in his hands. They were roses, with the colour of a ruby. Marlene's favourite flowers. He planned to give them to her that evening. They were going to the cinema for the fourth time that month. Antonio had never been so happy. Marlene was the girl of his dreams; she always made him laugh and cheered him up whenever he was sad or angry. If he felt cold or sick, she was always by his side, comforting him with her warm presence.

Suddenly Antonio found himself on the floor, lying with his stomach down. Apparently he'd tripped over a rock because he was so immerse in his thoughts he wasn't looking where he was going. Fortunately, out of instinct his arms had stretched themselves in front of his body so he hadn't damaged the roses.

He got up and cleaned his fur. As he was beginning to walk again, something caught his eye. Right next to him was a clothes shop, and he could see a light-brown coloured coat which brought something from his past back to the present. What was it?

Antonio got closer to the glass and looked through it carefully. The coat was clearly made of artificial fur. Its brown was so light that the reflection of the sun made it shine like gold. In his whole life, he'd only seen fur like that once before…

_Evey_.

"Oh, no" he muttered to himself. Some months ago, he'd been dating a beautiful squirrel named Evelyn. Their relationship had worked well till the day he saw her talking to another grey-coloured squirrel. That was when he realised she'd been cheating on him all the time and, to make things worse, with a squirrel whose colour was as dull as a rock. Though she had assured him they were only friends, Antonio didn't believe her and broke up with her. However, when he did that, he had the sensation she hadn't really accepted it.

"Oh, bueno", he thought, as he resumed walking. "It was another life." He was now dating Marlene. Focus on the present and forget the past; that would work.

When he arrived at his home, Fred was waiting for him there.

"Hey Antonio!" he called. "Someone's been looking for you."

"Who was it?"

"Another squirrel. She said her name was Evey."

_Oh_. Antonio's heart seemed to stop beating. _Oh, no_.

"I told her she might find you at the zoo. She went there and hasn't come back."

_Dios mío_, Antonio thought. If Evey had met Marlene, which was quite possible considering the otter was kind enough to talk to a total stranger, he was in serious trouble.

"I'll go and find her", he said quietly, leaving the roses on the floor. They wouldn't help him now. Fred was surprised by the change in his tone of voice but didn't say anything. "See you soon, amigo."

"Bye!" Fred said.

As he slowly walked to the zoo, he could feel his heart sinking deeply inside his chest. His feet grew heavier with every step he took until he had to stop, right in front of the gates.

What was he going to do?

"Enfrentarlo", he told himself. There was no other solution.

He forced his feet to move and made his way to Marlene's habitat. When he raised his left foot to give the step that'd take him inside the cave, he held it still for a moment. He breathed deeply, then stepped inside the cave.

"Well, well, well, look who's here! The heartbreaker" a voice which didn't sound like Marlene's said.

Antonio looked at the direction the voice had come from and was surprised to see Skipper standing there, looking at him with his eyebrows arched.

"So?" he asked. "Anything to say?"

"¿Sobre qué?" he tried to play innocent.

"That won't work with me. You've been cheating and you know it."

"Cheating?" he casually asked.

"Oh, please" Evey's voice sounded so different from the usual cheery tone he remembered he had to look at her.

Her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying for a long time, which was probably the case, and she was still sniffling a little. She was sitting down at a rock. Marlene stood by the squirrel, her face dead serious. There was no trace of her kind smile; her expression had darkened like a black storm cloud covering a shiny sun.

"Don't play oblivious because it's not going to work" Evey continued. "You cheated on me. You cheated on both of us, actually! How could you do that to me? I loved you! And you did that to this otter! She's the nicest person on Earth! You can't treat her like that!"

"I think there's a great misunderstanding here-" Antonio began, but he was cut off by Marlene.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. She isn't your girlfriend, you were just dating and it wasn't serious, right?" she said bitterly, rolling her eyes. "Come on."

"No, I'm serious, Marley-"

"Don't you dare call me like that!"

"Can you let me finish?"

Marlene growled. "Fine. Whatever."

Antonio sighed. "Thank you". He turned to Evey. "I broke up with you long ago, Evey. You should know it by now."

"Just because I was talking to a friend of mine it doesn't mean he's my boyfriend!"

"Say what?" Marlene said.

"That's what happened." Evey explained. "I was just talking to a friend. Antonio came, saw me and thought I was cheating on him, so he broke up with me. End of the story."

Marlene looked at Evey with her eyes wide open, then turned to Antonio.

"How could you be such a jerk?"

Before he could answer, another voice sounded in the habitat.

"What's going on with de drama in here? I can't have my royal lunch in peace if I have to hear all the soap opera."

Everyone just stared at Julien as he appeared together with Maurice and Mort in the entrance.

"It's none of your business, Ringtail" Skipper said.

"Well, it's none of your business either" Antonio told Skipper.

"Wrong", he answered. "Marlene is my friend, and the problems concerning her concern me as well."

"Oh, the silly penguin has a thingy for the otter!" Julien exclaimed.

"What? Ringtail, don't talk nonsense."

"See? See?" Evey said. "My friend was like that too, and that was why Antonio dumped me!"

"Stop de screaming already."

"Shut up!"

"No one tells the king to shut up! Maurice, punishment!"

Maurice stared at the king blankly. "I'm sorry, your Majesty, what?"

"De royal punishment", Julien said. "Don't we have any punishment?"

"Err… well, guess we could ban her from your kingdom."

"Yes! Yes! From now on, I declared you banned of my royal territory."

"What the?" Evey couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Don't pay attention to him." Marlene muttered to her. "Julien, why don't you go back to your habitat? I'm sure you have a lot of energy to dance" she added, turning to him.

"Maurice, Mort, let's go back to my habitat as de kingly mind has just proposed!" he said to them, and they left off.

"Now, where were we?" Skipper asked.

"Oh, yes" Marlene said. "Well, Antonio, I have nothing else to say. I break up with you and don't want to see you again. Now get out of here!"

"But Marley-"

"I told you not to call me like that1" she barked, with fire in her eyes. Antonio immediately understood and left quickly. Skipper was going to follow him when he felt Marlene's paw on his shoulder.

"Don't go, Skipper" she said softly. "It isn't worth it."

"He deserves it for what he did to you, Marlene! He can't treat you like that and just get away with it!"

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I'll be fine. Seriously, Skipper, just let it go."

Then she turned to Evey.

"Seems like we have something in common: dating the same jerk", she said.

"So it seems", Evey answered. "Can I stay a little more?"

"Of course" she smiled. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like".

The squirrel's face brightened. "Thank you, Marlene. Thank you so much."

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Well, then" Skipper said. "I guess I'll leave too. I have training session with the boys."

"Yea. Have fun with that."

"And you too, ladies" Skipper smirked and walked away.

Despite what Marlene had told him, as he slid to his habitat, he couldn't help but think of a way to avenge her. And when he went down the fish hole, an idea had already formed in his mind.

* * *

_Ohh... Skipper has a plan... REVENGE!_

_I'm sorry if Marlene seems a bit OOC here. I wasn't sure of how she'd react to that because we've never seen that on TV._

_The Spanish here: Bueno - well _

_Dios mío - My God_

_Enfrentarlo - Confront it_

_Sobre qué - About what_

_I'm afraid I won't be able to upload for a long time because now I'm leaving to the USA for two weeks, and when I arrive, I soon start my mid - year exams, so I'll be quite busy! Still, I won't forget you!_

_Bye bye and good luck to those countries in the World Cup!_


	8. The note

_Well, I'm back! Did you miss me? *points at you with a gun* Say you did... ^^_

_For all the Americans reading this, I liked your country, especially all the fantastic rollercoaesters! ^^_

_And... I'm SO HAPPY CUZ WE GOT TO THE FOURTH PLACE AT THE WORLD CUP! OH YEAH! GOOOOOOO URUGUAYYYYYY! And Forlán won the Golden Ball! BEST FOOTBALL PLAYER!_

_King Julien: WHAT? WHO? I'M THE BEST FOOTBALL PLAYER! DE KING IS ALWAYS THE BEST!_

_Me: Yeah, sure thing, Julien. Anyway, on with the story, shall we?_

_King Julien: Yes, that's better. Let's talk about me!_

_Me: ¬¬ Shut up, Julien..._

_King Julien: No one tells the king to...! *I cover his mouth*_

_Me: Enjoy!_

* * *

Marlene slowly opened her eyes to a shining sun in a clear sky. The weather seemed to be mocking her mood.

Her mind went back to yesterday's events, but before she could sadden anymore, she realised that Evey was staying there. _No_, she told herself. _Don't get sad_. She didn't want to appear weak to her.

Marlene sat up on her bed and looked around. No one else was in the cave. Weird. Had Evey gone outside? She checked. No, the squirrel wasn't swimming in the clear, fresh water. Nor was she in the bed. Where was she?

The otter looked everywhere around the habitat and when she went up to Evey's bed, she found a written piece of paper under the pillow.

_Great_, she thought. How was she going to understand that? Then she remembered Phil could read. Yeah, she could ask him.

Marlene climbed the wall over her habitat and went to the chimpanzees' home. There were Mason and Phil sitting on a branch, playing chess.

"Um, guys?" she asked. They looked at her. "Could you read this?" She showed them the note.

"Of course", Mason said. Marlene got to the branch and gave him the piece of paper. The chimpanzee held it in front of Phil so he could read. Phil did some signs and Mason translated.

"Dear Marlene, as soon as you read this, please meet me at the zoovenir shop. It's very important that you come. Evey."

"Hmm… that's odd", Marlene said, grabbing her chin. "Well, anyway, guess I have to go. Thanks, guys."

"Anytime, Marlene" Mason smiled. As the otter walked away, he realised she hadn't taken the note with her. He grabbed it and called her, but she was gone. "Oh well", he thought, and threw it in the paper basket.

Marlene rushed across the zoo and almost ran into Julien and company. However, she saw them just in time and avoided them. Finally, she got to the shop and entered it. The place was dark and empty.

"Evey?" she called. Nothing. Just a cold silence.

"Evey?" she repeated, louder this time. For some reason, she was starting to get nervous. As she waited in the dark, a strange thought came to her mind. "How did Evey write that note if I don't have any paper or pencil in my habitat?" she wondered. But before she could find an answer to that question, she heard a noise right behind her. Marlene turned around, her heart beating fast, and she saw something she definitely wasn't expecting. A big, black squirrel stood in front of her, with a creepy smile on his lips. That for sure wasn't a normal squirrel. "Well" he said in a deep voice, but with a mocking tone. "Aren't you the cutest little thing I've ever seen?"

"Who are you calling a cute little thing?" Marlene replied in an angry tone, but before she could do anything, another deep voice was heard.

"Don't be so aggressive, my lady, because you're not in a position to be so". Suddenly, a huge black paw came out of nowhere and covered her mouth! Its grip was so tight she could hardly breathe. Obviously there was another squirrel behind her. Another squirrel that used its other paw to hold Marlene against him so that she couldn't move. The first squirrel got a box and some sticky tape and tied Marlene up, then threw her inside the box. After closing it carefully so that the otter could breathe but not escape, they carried the box on their shoulders and went out of the zoo. As they passed in front of the lemur habitat, Maurice, who was fanning his king, saw them.

"That's weird", he mumbled.

"What's weird?" Julien, who heard him, asked.

"That, your Majesty" the aye-aye answered, pointing at the strange sight.

Julien took his sunglasses off, looked at the squirrels and said, "Some mutant squirrels are carrying a box." He put his glasses back on. "Don't let such unimportant things distract you from fanning your kingly king, Maurice."

"Yes, your Majesty" Maurice sighed and went on moving the palm tree leaf. He soon forgot about the squirrels.

Meanwhile, Marlene was trying to escape, but in vain. The sticky tape was too strong to tear it. After a while, she gave up and just lay there, wondering where they were going.

How long had they been travelling? Minutes? Hours? She couldn't tell. At last the movement stopped and the box was carelessly thrown on the floor. It opened, and the squirrels brought her out. The place was dark, but she could see that it looked quite like a zoo. As she was taken through it, she could see black squirrels everywhere, like the ones who were carrying her.

They stopped next to a cage. There, the tape was taken off from her and she was put into the cage. Then the squirrels left. Marlene heard two low voices talking and recognised the deep tone of one of them. She couldn't work out what they were saying, though.

The voices stopped, and an animal came into sight. When it stepped closer, the otter gasped in surprise.

It was Evey.

"Evey!" Marlene exclaimed. "What's going on here?"

The squirrel grinned. But it wasn't a happy grin… it was an evil grin that made chills run through her spine.

"There's someone who wants to meet you, Marlene" she said. "He's wanted to do so for a long time."

"What do you mean?"

She just smiled and turned around. The otter looked behind Evey to see a giant figure come in front of her, moving on a strange vehicle.

It was a dolphin, with a robot eye that looked scary.

"Who are you?" Marlene asked, wide-eyed.

"Greetings, Marlene" the dolphn said in a strange voice. "I am Dr. Blowhole."

* * *

_Were you expecting that? I hope not, cuz I changed EVERYTHING... you'll know why in next chapter_

_As always, review, please! Reviews are what give me the strength to continue... though now I've planned how things will end ^^_

_See you next time! Bye!_


	9. Red code!

_Hi guys! I know it's been long since my last update, but to make up for it, this chapter will be longer than the others. Oh, and thanks to all the reviewers! You rock!_

_Here is a brand new chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

Marlene just stared at him blankly. She couldn't believe this was happening! When the penguins and Julien told her about Dr. Blowhole, she was quite sceptical. The story sounded too unbelievable. But now, face to face with this creepy dolphin, all she could do was believe each and every word she had been told about him.

"I see you are a bit surprised" he said, arching his eyebrows. "Didn't the penguins tell you about me? I thought they did."

His words snapped Marlene out of her trance, and she recovered the ability to speak.

"You", she said. "You are real!"

"I am" he answered, laughing in an evil way. "Your friend was just as surprised as you when we captured him, you know."

_My friend?_ Had the guy captured any of the penguins? _No_, her mind answered. _Impossible_. But who else could it be? She looked at Blowhole, trying to figure it out, and then her gaze went down to Evey, who was next to him.

Then it struck her.

"Antonio?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

Blowhole grinned – again, an evil grin – and turned around. He signalled to one of the black squirrels and it left. Soon, it came back, carrying a cage just like the one she was in with the help of two other squirrels. And inside it was a miserable-looking squirrel. His brown fur was messed up and had bits of grass, as if he had been dragged over the floor to that place. When he raised his head heavily, his green eyes looked at her.

Though they weren't as bright as when they first met, there was no doubt they were _his_ eyes.

"Antonio?" Marlene gasped. "What did they do to you?"

"Marlene?" he asked in a tired voice. "Who are estos tipos? What do they want from me?"

"I don't…" Her voice trailed off. What could Blowhole possibly want from them? She looked at the dolphin, who smirked.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you… for now. I have something very special prepared for your friends." His laugh made Marlene shiver. She had no doubt who "her friends" were. She and Antonio were only part of a plan. His plan. The penguins would come to their rescue and would fall in a trap.

"No!" she screamed.

"¿Qué?" Antonio asked.

"No?" Blowhole smiled. "What are you going to do about it? Fight me?" He laughed maniacally and turned around. Looking at them over his shoulder, he said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, we have more urgent matters to attend. I hope you enjoy this place… because you'll never get out of it!" Evey laughed at the statement and the two animals, along with the black squirrel, left.

"We must get out of here" Marlene said, looking around. There were no squirrels in sight, but the cages were securely closed, as well as the office's door.

"¿Cómo?" Antonio asked. "There's no salida."

"We'll find one", she answered. Though she wasn't so sure inside…

* * *

"Come on, Kowalski" Skipper smirked. "Give me your best shot."

"Try to stop this one", Kowalski smiled. With a tennis shot, he sent the ball over the net. Skipper hit the ball and it went up. "Yours, Private!" he said. The young penguin jumped and volleyed the ball with such power that Kowalski and Rico could only stare as it flew over the net and hit the ground.

"Bravissimo, Private!" Skipper exclaimed. "That's 10-8 for us." The two penguins shared an up high while Kowalski and Rico looked at them, a little disappointed.

"Don't worry, Rico" Kowalski said, taking his abacus out and making some calculations. "There's a 49% chance we will beat them next time." Rico just shrugged.

"All right men, let's take a break" Skipper said. While they put the net away, he remembered the past day's events and smiled to himself. This was the perfect time to put his plan into practice. Once they were finished, Skipper announced, "I'm going on a private mission now boys. I should be back in the evening. If I haven't returned after midnight, you know what to do, Kowalski." The tall penguin gulped and nodded. He had no idea of what his leader was up to, but he just hoped he would be back safely. Kowalski didn't feel ready to take over Skipper's position.

"Good" Skipper said, and he left.

As he walked to Marlene's habitat, he could already feel the sweet taste of revenge dancing in his tongue. That Latin otter would be sorry for what he had done to Marlene. It would be better for him if the fight hadn't affected her badly, because in that case, he would make sure that Antonio was never happy again. Marlene shouldn't be sad, because she was the most beautiful otter in the world, and she was like a sun, always warms and shin, and if she became sad, it would be as if the sun had been turned off…

Skipper stopped dead in his tracks when he realised the turn his thoughts were taking. "Monster trucks, think of monster trucks" he told himself and started walking again.

_Monster trucks. Monster trucks. Monster trucks. Monster trucks… Monster… Antonio…Monster… Marlene…_

Skipper nearly slapped himself. _What's happening to me?_, he thought. Was he becoming a softy or what? _Control your thoughts_, his mind told him.

Suddenly he looked around and realised he was at the entrance - well past Marlene's habitat. Cursing, he made sure no humans were around and slid back to her home. He was about to enter the same way he always did when he realised that, if Marlene wasn't in a good mood, his unexpected appearance wouldn't help to cheer her up. Independent as she was, she'd reassure him she was all right, though perhaps her red eyes would give her away… Well, she'd tell him that even if he knocked. _Still_, he thought. _It's probably more considerate or something_.

So he knocked and waited. And waited. And still waited…

Nothing.

"Fish and chips, man" he said to himself. "These are the kind of things because of which I never knock." He simply entered the cave. It was surprising not to hear any complaints about the intrusion, so he looked around.

Nobody was in there.

"Marlene?" he called, but got no answer.

"Marlene?" he repeated, this time louder. Nothing. Just silence. A cold, creepy silence that sent chills through his spine and switched his paranoia on. He could feel it. Something bad had happened.

As fast as he could, he slid back to the HQ. He quickly went down the fish hole and shouted, "Red code! We have an animal missing!" The other three penguins immediately gathered around him, concern in their faces.

"Who's missing, Skippah?" Private asked.

"Marlene! I was checking her habitat and she wasn't there!"

"And can't she have gone somewhere?" the young penguin suggested.

"That's a negative, Private." Skipper said. "Something bad's happened to Marlene; I can feel it in my gut."

"And what were you doing at Marlene's anyway?" Kowalski asked suspiciously. He hadn't forgotten his leader's matter with the otter. "Weren't you in a private mission?"

Skipper thought quickly. "Part of the mission was to check on everyone in the zoo" he simply answered.

"So what shall we do now, Skippah?"

"I say that we interrogate all animals in the zoo. Maybe someone has seen something suspicious."

"Good idea, Kowalski." Skipper said. "Commence operation: Search and Rescue."

"Search and rescue, Skippah?"

"Yes, Private. We're going to get some information to search for Marlene, find her and rescue her."

Private thought about it. It made sense.

"Guess that's fine" he mumbled, as the four of them climbed up the ladder.

* * *

Their first subjects, the lemurs, weren't of any help, as usual. Maurice hadn't seen anything, Mort only had eyes for the king's feet and, to make things worse, not only had Julien not seen anything as he only cared for himself, but he also bothered Skipper with his supposed feelings for Marlene, which really annoyed him. He had to force himself to admit that what bothered him the most wasn't the fact that his team mates were listening to everything, but the fact that it made him uncomfortable inside because he wasn't so sure of his feelings for the otter. After all, it seemed that, since the whole Antonio episode, he had become more protective of her. _Protective or possessive?_ he asked himself. It was an unpleasant question, and so was its answer, but he couldn't ignore the fact that the second option may be the right one.

As they carried on interrogations, Skipper managed to push these thoughts aside while asking questions. However, another thought entered his mind: he gradually grew convinced that he was forgetting something, an important detail. But what?

The penguins were starting to become frustrated when they arrived at the chimpanzee's habitat.

"Marlene is missing?" Mason asked with surprise after the penguins told him about it. "How could that be?"

"We don't know" Kowalski said, "but we'd be more than grateful if you could give us some information."

"Information?"

"Any detail you remember about her" he explained. "Didn't you see her today?"

"Yes, we did, but… Wait." The chimpanzee thought. "In the morning, she came to our habitat and asked us to read a note someone had left for her."

"Who? What did the note say?" Skipper asked, a bit too anxiously. He felt everyone's gaze on him before Mason said, "I don't remember, but she forgot the note here and I…" He stopped. "I threw it on the paper basket."

Before anyone could react to that, Skipper had already jumped onto the paper basket and was frantically looking in it. After some seconds, he triumphantly took out a small piece of paper and said, "Here. Now please read it."

Kowalski, Rico and Private just stared at his leader as he gave Mason the note. None of them had ever seen his leader like this. Rico and Private had no idea of why he was acting that way, but Kowalski could see that apparently Marlene was operating some kind of change in Skipper.

Mason held the note in front of Phil as he signalled, then translated: "Dear Marlene, as soon as you read this, please meet me at the zoovenir shop. It's very important that you come. Evey."

_Evey_.

_Of course!_ Skipper's mind shouted. She was the missing part of the puzzle. She was the important detail he'd been thinking about all afternoon. How didn't he think about that as soon as he discovered Marlene was missing? He quickly pushed aside that question as he already knew the answer to it and he didn't want to hear his mind saying it because it would only make it real: he didn't think about it earlier because he was too concerned about Marlene.

"Evey?" Private asked. "Who could that be?"

"Well, the odds are-" Kowalski started, but was cut off by Skipper.

"Evey" he said, anger filling his voice, "is a squirrel who came to the zoo claiming to be Antonio's girlfriend. I didn't know who she was or where she came from but, considering the state in which she and Marlene seemed to be, I didn't think about it at the moment, a mistake I'm now paying for."

Private didn't like this; his leader was starting to make him scared. He always took his missions seriously, but not _this_ serious.

"She asked Marlene to stay with her for the night and she agreed. Now she's probably taken her somewhere."

"Do you think she did this?" the young penguin asked.

"Actually, Private" Kowalski said, taking his clipboard and making some notes, "the note points this so-called Evey as the last person who saw Marlene, and since she's not here either, there's a high possibility that she did it. But if we go to the zoovenir shop to investigate, we might find something that either proves that she is guilty or innocent. We may also find some clue as to where she was taken."

"Right" his leader said. "Move, men!" And they all slid there.

They went into the shop and started looking around for clues, but couldn't find anything useful.

"I can't see anything" Skipper complained.

"Me neither" Private agreed.

"Uh-huh" said Rico.

"Well" Kowalski took his abacus, "there's a 100% chance that we can't find any clues because it's not day anymore and the lights aren't on."

"I knew it!" Skipper said. "Alice is implied in this and she's disabled electricity so we can't find any clues in here!"

"In fact, Skipper, the switches are low, which would indicate that the lights are off because we forgot to turn them on."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?"

Once the lights were on, they immediately saw something: there was fur on the floor. Black and brown fur. The four instantly recognised the brown fur as Marlene's. But what about the black fur?

Kowalski picked up a black hair and tasted it. After some seconds he said, "Black squirrel."

"Black squirrel?" Skipper asked.

"Yes, Skipper." Kowalski looked something up in his clipboard. "This makes our search considerably easier because, according to my notes, there's only one place in New York where they can be found."

"And that would be…?"

"Hoboken Zoo."

"Great. Guess we have to find a quick way to get to the cesspool." Skipper rolled his eyes. "Options."

"We could take a bus and then slide" Kowalski said, making some notes, "but it'd be much faster if we went by car."

"We'll go by car, then. We have no time to lose." Before anyone could say anything, he was on his belly sliding to the door. The team stared for half a second, then followed him. There was a truck leaving the zoo at the moment. "Perfecto" Skipper said. They quickly jumped on the cab and knocked the driver unconscious. Private helped Rico drag him to the box while Skipper and Kowalski drove. As Rico was regurgitating a bat in case the man woke up, a familiar voice said, "Who is interrupting de royal dinner?"

"Oh, no" Skipper muttered. "Kowalski, take my place. Private, take Kowalski's place." The two penguins changed positions while Skipper went to the back of the truck. Julien was sitting in a corner, with a small piece of a banana in his hand. Maurice and Mort were of course next to him.

"What are you doing here, Ringtail?"

"I was just having my royal dinner when you came here and ruined it."

Skipper sighed. "Yes, but how did you get here?"

"Well, from my kingly throne I could see they were loading a truck, and there was so much food, that we went to the truck and climbed when no humans were around." He stopped. "Ok, I've told you what I'm doing here, now _you _tell me what you're doing here."

"That's classified, Ringtail."

"We're going to Hoboken Zoo to rescue Marlene" Private said.

"Kowalski"

"I can't slap him right now, Skipper. I'm driving."

"Oh, well. It'll be later then." Skipper turned back to Julien, who smiled. "Oh, I understand now!" he said happily. "You're going to rescue your princess! Well, obviously not your _princess_ because I'm the only member of the royalty here, but she's your… your…

"Your mango?" Mort suggested. Everyone looked at him, except for Private who was down pressing the pedals. "I like mangos! They are sweet!"

"Mort, shut up and let me think, ok?"

"Ok!"

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes! The otter! She's your… your…"

Skipper rolled his eyes, turned around and went back to the cab. As he walked past Rico, he whispered, "Keep an eye on Ringtail." Rico nodded.

The penguin leader took control of the steering wheel again as Kowalski went down to the pedals and Private came up.

"By the way, Private" Skipper said, slapping him, "you must learn to keep your beak shut sometimes."

"Ok, Skippah" Private said, rubbing his head. He then went back to the box to help Rico control the lemurs.

Once he was gone, Skipper asked, "Kowalski, is there any way to get rid of them?"

"Negative, Skipper. We'd have to turn around and go back to the zoo to leave them, and that would take up too much time. We can only go to Hoboken with them and hope they don't do a mess."

"As if that were possible" Skipper mumbled to himself. But Kowalski was right. They'd better get to Hoboken as fast as possible if they wanted to rescue Marlene. The thought of not seeing her again hurt him in a way he'd never thought possible. His heart seemed to shrink at the perspective.

* * *

After a while, they parked near the zoo. They couldn't park right next to it because that would be suspicious. Before getting off the truck, Skipper went up to Julien and told him, "You three stay here."

"Nobody gives orders to de king! Dat is de king's job!"

Skipper sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn't have time or patience for this.

"All right, come with us if you want to, but _stay quiet_."

"Maurice, Mort, shut up! De silly penguin needs silence to rescue his loved otter."

"What? Just shut up", the penguin grunted.

The seven animals got off the truck and carefully made their way across some streets and past the gate, which was closed.

"This is strange" Kowalski whispered. "Why would they want to take Marlene to an abandoned zoo?"

"I don't know" Skipper whispered back. "But don't speak."

They were walking in the shadows, and they were almost past the office entrance, when Julien suddenly exclaimed, "Maurice! De royal me is hungry! Bring me some food!"

Everyone hushed him up, but it was too last. Three dark figures appeared from nowhere and dragged the lemurs inside the office. Before the penguins could put on their fighting stance, a dozen black huge black squirrels fell on them. They struggled to get rid of them, but they were more and stronger. Skipper tried to high kick a black squirrel in the face, but it caught his feet and held him upside down. Rico attempted to regurgitate a weapon, but another squirrel covered his mouth tightly. The penguins were trying so hard to get free that one of the squirrels holding Skipper said in a deep voice, "Oh, let's just do it the easy way."

"Oh, c'mon, Jack" someone answered. "Where's your sense of humour?"

"Look at these guys, Benny" Jack said, pointing a finger at the penguins. "They're just going to make this harder."

Benny looked down at Rico and realised he was about to get free. "Well, I guess you're right." He then took out a huge syringe and before Rico could react, he injected him. Rico immediately stopped struggling; his eyes shut and he relaxed completely.

"That's better" Jack said, nodding. Benny injected Kowalski and Private and gave the syringe to Jack. "Yours, Jack" he said, and then helped the others carry the three penguins inside.

All that time, Skipper was only able to stare at his team mates with his eyes open wide; but he realised he was next, he struggled harder than ever to get free. _Not needles_, he thought. _No_.

"Now, fellow, you really think that'll help?" Jack asked. He laughed and then injected the penguin.

Skipper was barely able to hold back a scream. This was much worse than when he had gone to the doctor; this was pure fire burning its way through his neck. It would probably leave a deep scar there. Finally, the needle left his neck, though the hole remained. Then he felt his muscles relaxing. He couldn't move them, but for what? He just wanted to fall into a deep sleep. Closing his eyes, he thought the pain was just a way to get to a heaven like that. A heaven with Marlene…

_Marlene!_ That name snapped him back to reality. He was there to rescue her, he couldn't give up! For a fraction of a second, he was able to half-open his eyes. He barely realised he was inside the office before they closed again. No matter how strong-willed he was, this was too much for him.

_No! Keep fighting!_ his mind screamed, but it was too late. Sleep overcame him and he lost consciousness.

* * *

_Oh... Skipper seems to care for Marlene, right? ^^_

_The Spanish:_

_estos tipos - these guys_

_Qué - What_

_Cómo - How_

_Salida - exit_

_As always, review please! See you in next chapter! Adios!_


	10. Plans

_Yeah, I know I haven't uploaded for a long time... I had to write a story to enter the Quetzal Route competition, and my final tests, and other things. Still, those went up until the middle of December, and I have no excuse for not uploading since then. Now I'm on summer holidays until March, so I'll upload faster._

_cheese123m, "lo mismo" means the same. And I don't know Japanese, so you won't see it in this story. Besides, Antonio was shown speaking Spanish on the show, so why should I change it?_

_So, to the story, shall we?_

* * *

Skipper slowly opened his eyes. Where was he? All he could see was something dark grey above him. But it didn't look like the ceiling of the HQ.

Suddenly, the recent events struck him. _Marlene! _He jumped up and put a fighting stance. It was dark and all he could see were the bars of a cage.

"Kowalski, options!" he exclaimed. But no one answered.

"Kowalski?" he asked and took a closer look at the cage. There was nobody else in there. So he put his face through the bars and tried to see where he was. At first, he couldn't see a thing. But his eyes soon got used to the darkness and he distinguished four more cages in the room. He forced his eyes and managed to see each of his teammates in a cage. He couldn't see what was in the last one; all he could see was a strange dark shape.

While he was trying to figure out what it was, he heard a soft noise behind him.

"Skipper?"

The penguin turned around, his heart pounding against his chest furiously. For a second, he wondered why he had that reaction. After all, even if it was _her_ voice and he'd been hoping he'd hear it soon, it shouldn't make his heart beat so fast, and the overwhelming wave of happiness that ran through his body had no reason to be there. But he quickly shook the thought off.

"Marlene?"

He still couldn't see clearly, but he could distinguish her shape in the darkness that surrounded them. It was her; there was no doubt. Next to her cage was another one with an animal that Skipper wondered who it was.

"Skipper! Is that you?"

Marlene put her face through the bars of the cage. Despite the darkness, her hazel eyes seemed to shine with happiness. _Beautiful eyes_, Skipper thought for a second. Then, in horror, he realised what he'd just thought and mentally kicked himself for it. He did the same Marlene had.

"Marlene! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but how did you guys get here?"

"Because of Evey's note!" The mention of her name made him remember all about her. "Where is that poisonous little rat? She'll get what she deserves for this!" The rage in his voice was clear. "She'll regret daring to hurt you!"

"This isn't about me, Skipper" Marlene said, though the penguin seemed to think otherwise.

"Of course it is! She played with your emotions as if they were a toy! She made you feel betrayed, then pretended to be your friend just to betray you again! You aren't a doll! You have feelings!"

Marlene couldn't believe she was actually hearing this! "And since when do you care so much about my feelings?"

The question hit Skipper like a punch in the gut. Marlene was right. Why was he so concerned about what the otter was feeling? It had been happening to him since…

_Since Antonio appeared_, he realised. That otter seemed to have changed him. The moment he appeared, he cared much more about Marlene than he ever did. He had already concluded that he was jealous, but why?

He tried to analyze it once more. If a jealous person wanted something someone else had, that meant… that he _wanted_ Marlene?

The explanation suddenly popped up in his brain. Of course. He wanted her, he cared about her feelings, something he didn't care about in anyone else, not even himself…

He _liked_ Marlene.

The thought seemed to turn his whole world upside down. All his life, he'd told his men that love was a distraction. He thought so himself. Women and relationships had no place in a military penguin's career. That would only draw attention away from work.

But he had fallen. He had fallen for the otter and he knew there was no way he could fight it. He didn't understand feelings generally, but this was clear now.

While Skipper thought all this, Marlene waited for an answer. But she didn't get it. Nor could she find one herself. He had always been so closed to anything related with the heart that this was really confusing. But also nice. It was sweet on Skipper's part that he cared about feelings for once. Although it was also weird. If he'd never cared for his own feelings, or those of his team, or the feelings of any zoo inhabitant, why did he now care about hers? No answer came up to her brain.

"Since…" her thoughts were interrupted by Skipper's low voice. "Since Antonio did that to you."

Marlene was speechless. With those words, he had actually _admitted_ that he did care for her feelings.

"Why is that?"

Skipper gulped. He'd never been good at matters of the heart, but this time he had to talk about it. If he was going to tell her, this was the perfect time. So he gathered all his courage to say what he had to say.

"Because I l-"

"Maurice, where are we?"

Annoyed, Skipper turned around. Great. Ringtail was up. His chance was gone.

The strange shape which he hadn't been able to figure out what it was, turned out to be the lemurs. Julien was on top and soon got up; so did Maurice. Mort had been crushed under the two, but he still got up quickly, in his usual cheery mood.

"Umm… I don't know, your Majesty" Maurice said. "I can't see a thing."

"Ringtail" Skipper scolded, turning to them. "I hope you're happy with what you caused."

"What?"

"Hello! Hadn't it been for you, we wouldn't be in here!"

"Dat is a wrong accusation! De king never –"

"Skipper?" a different voice said.

He turned his head.

"Kowalski!" Skipper said, relieved. "Are you all right?"

"I think so."

"Excelente. We have to get out of here. I need options!"

Kowalski took his clipboard and tried to make some notes, but it was too dark to write. "Think", he told himself. "How can we get out of…?" He looked around and when his eyes got used to the darkness, he realised he was in a cage. He could also see everyone else's cage: Skipper, the lemurs, Private, Rico…

_Rico_.

"Of course!" he thought. "Skipper, if we wake Rico up, he can cut through the bars with his chainsaw."

"Good plan! But how do we wake-"

Some grunts cut him off as Rico woke up. He looked around, and as he couldn't see anything, he regurgitated a torch and turned it on. When he saw everyone, the confusion on his face seemed to fade away. The moment he illuminated Private, the young penguin woke up, dazzled by the light.

"Skippah?"

"Private!" The penguin leader turned to him. "All men are up. Perfecto!"

"Umm… Skipper?" Marlene's soft voice seemed to make his heart skip a beat. "Antonio isn't up."

"Antonio?" he said, surprised. Rico pointed the torch at the male otter and he soon woke up.

"¿Qué pasa?" he asked, a bit sleepy. Marlene was going to answer him but Skipper spoke first.

"Wake up, you two-timing idiot… We have to get out of here, and that includes you, even when you're a dumbass."

"Who are you calling a dumbass?" Antonio answered, getting up and looking at him in a slightly menacing way.

"You, because that's what you are!"

Antonio was going to answer with a long insult in Spanish when Marlene interrupted them.

"If you two are finished with your childish talk, we have to start with Kowalski's plan so that we can all leave."

"Leave? I'm afraid that won't be possible, miss" a deep voice said.

Rico turned the torch off and swallowed it just in time for the squirrel that entered the place not to see it.

"There's no way out of here, so you'd better stop thinking that kind of things if you know what's best for you", he said threateningly. "The boss is coming to talk to you." He left, and immediately Blowhole came in.

"Well, well, well" he said, grinning in an evil way. "It seems that once more you have fallen into my trap, penguins." He stared at each of the four, then at Marlene and Antonio. "I have to say, you are wonderful bait" he added mockingly. Then he looked at the lemurs. "And thanks to you. If it weren't for you, maybe my enemies wouldn't have been caught." Skipper growled at the memory. Stupid Ringtail. "Still, I have something special for you, ex – partner. You betrayed me, and those who betray me often end up regretting it…" He laughed maniacally. "But before I do that, I'll tell you my plan to rule the world!" He laughed again. "You see, after I escaped you last time, I needed to form a new army. But I could see that crabs weren't the best option. They are good fighters, but not very intelligent, and I needed someone who could understand and make good use of my gadgets. While in my search, I was at a forest when I found the black squirrels. I got to know them and soon realised they are more intelligent than crabs and just as skilled in combat. So I recluted an army of squirrels, but I still needed a lair. And one of them told me about Hoboken Zoo, where they kept many of their race. The zoo had been closed for a while because apparently it wasn't in good condition and no publicity was made of that, so nobody knew about the closing up. It was a perfect place, so I installed my technology here. Now I have designed a special ray that will make the squirrels bigger and more powerful. With them, I shall conquer the world!" He laughed for the third time.

While Blowhole talked, Rico had silently regurgitated a normal saw and was cutting a bar of his cage. When the bar was no longer holding to the cage, he held it in place so the dolphin didn't notice.

"As for you, I have something special prepared, like the lemur, but I won't reveal it… It's a surprise… A lovely surprise!" And once more, he cackled in his strange way.

At that moment, Rico threw the bar at Blowhole's remote. It pressed a button and the cages went open. Everyone immediately came out.

The evil doctor slapped his forehead. "Great. Minions, attack!"

Suddenly, squirrels came out of everywhere and charged at them! Skipper recognised Jack, the one from the entrance, and attacked him. He threw a punch, which the squirrel dodged and responded with a kick right into his feet, making him fall. Meanwhile, a specially big squirrel stood just a few steps away from Marlene and smirked at her. "Such a pretty thing. It's a pity I must destroy you." And with that, he jumped.

"Marlene!" screamed Skipper. He tried to get up, but the squirrel kept him on the floor, making him watch as the huge black mammal went through the air to get Marlene.

* * *

_Cliffhanger! Well, kinda. Anyway, "que pasa" means "what's going on". Thanks for reading and as always review! I won't take as long to upload next chapter, I promise!_

_BTW, thanks to Skoolgrl09 for the word "two-timing", I didn't know it (what? I don't live in an English speaking country!)_

_See you in next chapter!_


	11. The fight

_Ok, yes, I know I said I wouldn't take as long as I had to upload, but the thing is, suddenly I got three holidays away all at once and I wasn't home for three weeks. Still that's no excuse, so I hope that this chapter will make up for it._

_Anyways, you're not here to read my excuses, are you? Enjoy the story!_

* * *

Marlene looked at the huge squirrel and, with a cry, stepped aside just in time. Skipper felt relieved, but only for a second; the mammal turned around, still looking at the otter, and charged once more. But he wasn't going to let that squirrel put as much as a finger on her. He ferociously tackled Jack and lunged forward, only looking a the threat. He tackled this squirrel as well. It was going so fast that it flew and hit the wall, falling unconscious.

"Marlene!" Skipper said. "Are you all right?"

She was going to answer, but she didn't have time; another squirrel was going for them. She looked around frantically and saw the bar Rico had cut, not far away. If she could get it, she'd have a better chance fighting the squirrels. So she took a deep breath and jumped forward, avoiding the black animal, then ran towards the bar. But just as she was reaching out for it, a squirrel blocked her way.

"Getting weapons, dear?" he said, in a mocking tone.

Before she could react, something hit him from behind and he fell aside. Private was there, panting.

"You OK, Marlene?" he asked, handing her the bar.

"Yeah, thanks for that" she smiled, taking it. She turned around and saw another squirrel coming. So she hid it behind her back and waited, pretending to be paralyzed by terror. When the animal was almost upon her, she moved her arms over her head in a circle to give more power to the blow and then hit the squirrel with all of her strength, sending it across the room. The otter smiled, suddenly confident, and started striking squirrels. Three went to get her, and she jumped, so the animals crashed against each other. Then another one caught her from behind and held the arm with which she was holding the bar. She struggled to break free and finally managed to kick the squirrel right between the legs. It let go of her, and she took the advantage to hit it in the head. The room was soon full of falling squirrels, as Marlene wasn't the only one fighting. Rico had regurgitated a bowling pin and used it like a boomerang, striking four or five squirrels in its flight. Private was having some trouble taking over a squirrel that was twice his size. It tried to catch him by jumping and falling on him. The young penguin quickly gave a step behind, and as the squirrel landed, he high kicked it on the face, making it see the stars. Kowalski came to his aid and punched the squirrel on the spot that made him faint. Private smiled at the tall penguin.

Meanwhile, Antonio, seeing the battle that was going on around him, had found a good hiding place in the drawer of a desk there was in the office. From there, he safely looked at everything. The penguins were doing doing well and they didn't need him, so he stayed there. He looked at Marlene. She was showing a ferocious side of her that he'd never imagined she could have. _It's a good thing she didn't get so angry at me when she dumped me_, he thought, shivering.

"What are you doing here?" a voice above him asked.

The male otter looked up. Julien, Maurice and Mort stood over him, on top of the desk. He opened his mouth to answer the question but no words came out, so he just shut it again.

"Whatever" said the ring-tailed lemur. "Give space to de royal king!"

With a sigh of resignation, he moved to a corner of the drawer and the three lemurs jumped in it.

Skipper saw that they were winning and turned to Blowhole. He couldn't let that dolphin escape again. But he saw Marlene first, and she stunned him. He'd never seen her fight before, and as amazing as it was, it was indeed a delighting sight. The twist of her arms as she moved them over her head to strike; the frown of concentration on her face; the little smile on her lips as she took down an enemy, her beautiful hazel eyes shining with concentration...

_WHAT THE HELL? _He mentally kicked himself for it. How could he be thinking of _that_ in the middle of a battle? _Because you love her_, a voice in his mind said. _Yeah, but right now isn't the best time to think about it_. He looked at Blowhole and saw he had realised his plan had failed. Without thinking about it twice, he jumped forward to throw him off his vehicle. He was already thinking of the moves he would make when he crashed against something and fell to the floor. Getting up, he rubbed his face and saw that the mad dolphin had projected his glass dome.

"I'm not in the mood to fight you, Skipper" he said and laughed. "I'd rather fight you later and, after finishing you off, conquer the world!" He cackled once more.

At that sound, Marlene stopped looking around for squirrels and looked at the dolphin. She had just fought off an army of huge squirrels, yet Blowhole's evil laughter sent cold chills through her spine. Hopefully, she'd never have to fight _him_, because she knew well that she wouldn't stand a chance in such a fight.

"Farewell, penguins... we'll meet again" The vehicle started going up and a hole opened in the roof. He quickly came out of sight, though they could still hear his laugh.

"Why is it that bad guys always get the good stuff!" screamed Kowalski and punched the wall with frustration. Marlene eyed him oddly.

"Is everyone all right?" Skipper asked, though the question was really directed at Marlene.

"Yeah, I think so" she answered.

Private suddenly realised something.

"Where are Antonio and the lemurs?"

"Who is looking for de king? He is here!" Julien's voice said from somewhere. A drawer in a desk opened and revealed the four animals in there.

"What were you doing in there?" Marlene asked incredolously.

"Hiding, of course!" Antonio stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I wasn't going to let those matones kill me."

Marlene just stared at him and wondered how she had ever liked him.

"Enough of this talk" interrupted Skipper, though he was pleased by Antonio's cowardice, or rather the fact that Marlene didn't seem to like it one bit. "We mustn't leave any trails behind. Nothing ever happened here."

Rico smirked. "Kaboom?"

The leader penguin smiled. "Yes, Rico. Kaboom".

"Let's go" said Skipper after a while. The nine of them were in the truck, and the dynamite had been set all over the place. Rico held a switch on his hand, ready to activate the bombs.

Kowalski pressed the pedal and the truck started going, while Skipper drove and counted the seconds left to the explosion

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Now!"

Rico pressed the button and behind them fire rose all over the zoo. The sound would have been deafening if they had been there. The red flames seem to shine on Rico's eyes, or perhaps what shone on his eyes was his pleasure at the sight.

"Kaboom kaboom KABOOM!" he laughed maniacally.

Antonio, who travelled in the box, looked at the penguin.

"Loco" he muttered, and drifted back to his half-asleep state.

When they arrived at the zoo, they parked behind a tree, where no humans could see them. Skipper looked carefully at the gates and their surroundings.

"Ok" he said. "Ringtail, you, Maurice and Mort go first. I'll tell you when."

"I agree with de part of going first, as de king obviously always goes first, but nobody tells de king what to do!"

The penguin sighed, and seeing this was the perfect time for them to go out, he said, "Julien, don't you feel like you want to seat on your throne right now?"

"Yes!"

"Then go!"

"Maurice, Mort, back to de royal kingdom!" he said, and jumped out of the truck, with Maurice and Mort following him. They quickly disappeared into the gates of the zoo.

"Good" Skipper said, relieved he had got rid of those three. "Now you, Antonio."

"Bien, but first" he turned and faced the other otter inside the truck "Marlene, I-"

"I don't want to hear it" she said dryly. "Go to your precious park and get lost in it."

Antonio was so taken aback by her words, he just nodded in shock; he remembered how she had fought in the office and didn't want any scars or bruises on him. At Skipper's command, he just jumped and walked out of sight into the park.

"Now, before getting off, we have to park this somewhere that won't raise suspicion."

"How about the corner shop, Skippah?"

"Good thinking, Private! A truck in front of a corner shop won't be suspicious. Kowalski..."

The penguin pressed the pedal once more and Skipper parked in front of the shop. After making sure nobody was coming, the five got off and went back to the zoo, walking in the shadows so they wouldn't be seen. They soon were opposite the gates.

"You go first, boys. I have to talk with Marlene" the penguin leader said.

The three penguins exchanged glances but said nothing as they crossed the street. Skipper turned to Marlene, who looked at him waiting for him to speak.

"Marlene, I..." he trailed off. Finally he said, "I think we should get going."

"Fine" said the otter, wondering what he had wanted to say.

The penguin was scolding himself for not daring to tell her. _Fish and chips, are you a man or not?_

He was so immersed in his thoughts he didn't see the motorbike approaching fast.

* * *

_Now THIS is a real cliffhanger... muahahaha! I don't want to make promises I might not be able to keep, but I know that some way I'll update before February finished because on the 1st March I start school again :( Yeah, and the worst part is that ALL THE OTHER schools start on the 15th..._

_Anyway, the Spanish!_

_matones - it would be something like "bullies", though not exactly..._

_loco - crazy_

_bien - fine_

_Well, don't forget to review! Auf wiedersehen! (see you in German)_


	12. I don't need anything

_Well, in case you didn't notice, this is the last chapter of the story. I told you I'd upload soon this time and so I did. My first fic ever. Wow, it took almost a year to finish and it's not that long... blame school._

_So, enjoy the last chapter of "Marlene's real date"!_

* * *

Skipper didn't even realise what was going on. All he knew was that one moment he was hearing Marlene call his name desperately and the other something pulled his wing and dragged him back to the pavement, all in a split second. Only when a motorbike's wheel passed just inches away from his eyes did he realise what had just happened. Marlene had... _saved_ him? He turned around and there she was, staring wide-eyed at him.

"Are you OK?" she asked, panting. Dragging him back in just a second hadn't been easy considering he wasn't that light.

"Yes..." he got lost in her eyes. "You saved me."

"It was nothing" she said, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Skipper's deep glare. "Umm... shall we get going?"

"OK..." he said, his gaze still on her. He snapped out of it to cross the street, but as soon as they were in front of the gates, his eyes went back to her. _Tell her... _a voice in his mind spoke. _Tell her now!_

"Marlene?"

"Yes?" she asked, wondering why he insisted on looking at her.

"Uh..." _Come on..._ "Thanks for saving me."

"As I told you before, it was nothing."

They just stared for a while.

"We should enter before anybody sees us."

Skipper just nodded. As they walked inside the zoo, he was trying to gather the courage to tell her. He hoped the otter didn't notice the battle that was going on inside him.

Tell her now!

_What if she doesn't love me back? I'll look like an idiot and ruin our friendship._

_Well, you'll never know unless you tell her._

_I don't know if I want to risk that._

_Isn't she worth it?_

_No! I mean yes! I mean... I don't know!_

_You should, considering you're in love with her..._

_Yes, but I have little experience in this! How do I tell her?_

_Just say the three words._

_It's not that easy._

_Stop thinking about it and say it!_

"Well... see you later, Skipper." They had already arrived at her habitat and he hadn't realised it.

"Yeah, I guess so..."

As she jumped over the brick wall, he felt something inside him push him and called, "Marlene!"

She poked her head from behind the wall. "Yeah?"

He took a deep breath. He could feel those three words on his tongue, struggling to get out, but his inexperience stopped them.

"Uhh... you fought well." And before she could say a word, he had slid on his belly back to the HQ. Marlene stared at the spot in which he'd been standing a second ago.

"Thanks" she whispered.

"Are you talking to de sky spirits? Because dey are at the sky, not on the ground, you know."

The otter turned her head and saw Julien in his throne, looking at her.

"Why are you looking at de king like dat?"

"Like what?"

"Like de look you have on your face. You're scaring de royal king."

Marlene blinked, wondering what look she could have on her face. Then she just shook her head and went back to her cave, leaving Julien a bit confused.

Skipper, who was watching the scene from the water in his habitat, smiled. This was why he loved Marlene. _Eww..._ That thought sounded strange on his mind. It was as if someone was playing romantic music right next to his ear.

_Romantic music_. A light seemed to turn on in his brain, and he smiled to himself as he thought of a plan to tell Marlene his true feelings.

Marlene was up on the roof of her cave, looking at the moon and thinking. She couldn't sleep. Today's events where running through her mind, and there was too much to ponder. First, the fact that Dr. Blowhole really existed, which implied that the penguins had never lied. Even more unbelievable, that _Julien_ had never lied and he _had_ acted as a double agent and saved the penguins. So not like him. But then, she also wondered what Skipper really wanted to tell her. She was sure that he'd lied when he tried to talk to her. And the way he had stared at her... it wasn't like him, at all.

She was so submerged in her thoughts that she didn't notice the steps coming to her cave, stopping for a moment, then climbing up and walking next to her. It wasn't until he spoke that she noticed him.

"Can't sleep?"

Marlene jumped and looked at the penguin.

"Did I scare you?"

"No, no, it's OK..." She was thinking of something to say until she noticed what he had with him. "Isn't that Antonio's guitar?" she said.

"Yes, it is."

"How did you get him to lend it to you?"

"That's... classified."

Marlene rolled her eyes as she knew that "classified" meant that there had been some punching and threatening involved, but she didn't pursue the matter.

"And what do you want it for anyway?"

"I just wanted to learn how to play it, and Antonio was kind enough to teach me a song. Do you want to hear it?"

Marlene got the sensation that this was why he had come here.

"Umm... sure."

Skipper smiled and began playing.

Acostumbrado (Accustomed)

_Equivocado _(Wrong)

_No veo el cielo _(I can't see the sky)

Está nublado (It's cloudy)

Marlene was surprised he was singing in Spanish, and she wondered if he knew what he was saying. However, he surely knew how to play. And he sang surprisingly well.

Apareciste sin que te buscara nadie, no esperaba (You appeared without anyone looking for you, I wasn't expecting) Encontrarte ahí (To find you there)

_Tal vez tu risa no tenía sombras, no tenía cara _(Maybe your laughter didn't have any shadows, it didn't have a face)

_Fue todo lo que vi _(It was all I saw)

_Me prestaste un beso, me prestaste calma _(You lent me a kiss, you lent me calmness)

_Me prestaste todo lo que me faltaba (_You lent me everything I didn't have)

_Na na na na na na_

_Na na na na_

This surprised Marlene even more, and the way in which he looked at her, as if he knew what he was saying...

_Tenés la receta justa para hacerme sonreír _(You have the right recipe to make me laugh)

_Y todo el tiempo _(And all the time)

_Sabés lo que me asusta _(You know what scares me)

_Sabés lo que me gusta estar con vos _(You know how much I like to be with you)

_Me robaste el cuerpo, me robaste el alma _(You stole my body, you stole my soul)

_Ya es tuya la voz con la que antes cantaba _(It's yours, the voice with which I used to sing)

Na na na na na na

_Na na na na_

_Na na na na na na_

_Na na na na_

_Me quitas el sueño, me quitas el habla _(You take away my sleep, you take away my speech)

_Pero si estoy con vos no necesito nada _(But if I'm with you I don't need anything)

Na na na na na na

_Na na na na_

_No necesito nada _(I don't need anything)

_Na na na na na na_

_Na na na na_

_No necesito nada..._

He continued singing that, growing gradually quieter, until the song was over.

"Skipper, all the things that song says... do you understand them?"

"I do."

"Then... why did you choose it?"

"Because I mean it, Marlene, all of it." He looked at her with an expression she'd never seen on him before. "I love you."

The otter was just speechless. Yes, she'd been wondering about his behaviour today, but she'd never imagined _that_ was what was behind it!

And yet it seemed to make sense. Not only that, but she felt it was right. In a way, it was as if she'd always known she would end up with him.

"And I love you too" she found herself answering.

Skipper just smiled. None of them said anything, they just leaned in and kissed. It was soft, tender, and sweet, and nothing like any of them would have ever imagined. After a while, Marlene pulled back and chuckled.

"I thought you believed love to be a waste of time" she said, though jokingly.

"Well, I have to eat my own words now" he answered.

"That's great. It's good to swallow your pride every once in a while, you know. It makes you more humble."

Skipper laughed.

"I guess so."

Marlene laughed too. Then she put her head on his shoulder and looked at the moon.

"Didn't Antonio teach you more songs? I'd love to listen to you play again."

"No, he didn't. But that can be fixed if you want to."

"Considering what that jerk did to me, I'll let you do to him whatever it is that you're planning."

"Good. Although I would have done it even if you hadn't let me."

Marlene smiled and closed her eyes. Skipper put an arm around her and allowed the love in the atmosphere to get into his mind. It was an alien presence, but he knew he could get used to it. And Marlene was definitely worth it.

* * *

_So, that's the end. My first fic finished. Hope you liked it!_

_Thanks to all the reviewers: _**SkullDestroyer, Stargazer128, Music4eva1414, xRevolverFCx, SelenaMarie, From Darkness and Light, INVADERPENGUIN6, xStarxWolfx, Drama sapphire, sweetlilsunshine, CayennePeppr, CrazyMaster2, Sieska, Tonycakes, penguinsfan19, Skoolgrl09, evvie, Nightfang, dragongirlj, tailsred, LoveSkipper, IAmYourPhobia, RaphaelsLittleSister, niiary, sk8inpiro21, skipperbro1536, LM1991, Sisil the S for the leader fan, 2 be loved, 1234567890, shadow-dog18, cheese123m, MonkeyLucy, mutated-ducks-rule, Tuliharja, The Maracadupaz, xXxPOMROXMAHSOXGIRL227xXx, MitsukiS and cuddles1234XD. **_(hope I didn't forget or misspell anyone, if so tell me so I can correct it)_

_I honestly don't know when will I write another fic. It took me long to end this one and I'll take a break for a while. Besides, I watch "The Mentalist" and I want to write something about it. Also, next time I write PoM, it may be in Spanish (I don't recommend you use Google translator, it gets many things wrong)._

_Guess that's it then! Thanks for reading all this story! Review and tell me what you think of the ending!_

_Bye!_


End file.
